We have decided as Alaska Native women to respond to Heather Kendall-Miller and Lloyd Miller’s egregious op-ed about Dan Sullivan and Sen. Mark Begich. We are offended and disappointed that she would be so bold as to assume they represent all Alaska Native women. They do not represent all of us, who live and raise our families in rural Alaska. We have different experiences, perspectives and voices. Those of us who live in the villages can speak for ourselves. Their op-ed does not represent what we think, live and breathe in rural Alaska.

We will not let Heather Kendall-Miller, Lloyd Miller and Sen. Begich define the issues of rape and domestic violence in our villages. We are fed up with Begich playing politics by using our women to advance initiatives that are dead on arrival in Congress, or Heather Kendall-Miller and Lloyd Miller litigating just to define a career. Sen. Begich does not respect us as women when he makes promises he cannot keep and uses the historical anger of Alaska Natives against the state of Alaska to advance a political agenda of failed promises.

The Washington Post reported that Sen. Begich actually co-sponsored the Alaska exception in the Violence Against Women Act in the last Congress, yet he blames Lisa Murkowski for everything and relies on her to have the tough discussions between the state and the tribes to deliver real results to our villages. We need cooperation between the state and tribes, and must demand action rather than rhetoric. Sen. Begich will forever divide our state.